Early History of Cherokee Journalism

In the early 1800s, the Cherokee Nation was losing its sense of balance. The United States government was compelling the Nation to move west of the Mississippi. At the same time, the government was pressuring Cherokees to change their way of life, to adopt European notions of “civility.” Some Cherokees did try to conform, to become “civilized,” but few wanted to give up their homelands. Even so, many Cherokees felt pressured to change who they were and to give up the land that was a part of Cherokee identity and religion. In response, the Cherokees began a war, a non-violent war, a war where words served both as weapons against the encroaching United States government and as medicine for the Cherokee people.

As a part of their campaign against removal, the people of the Nation began a nationalistic movement which coincided with the invention of the syllabary, a syllable-based system which enabled Cherokee speakers to write their own language. The effort was furthered by the publication of the Cherokee Phoenix, a newspaper written in both English and in the Cherokee syllabary. The Phoenix was directed at two audiences, the Cherokee audience, which included those Cherokees literate in the syllabary, and the European audience.

Throughout the history, the Nation has struggled to maintain its balance in a Cherokee sense, which involves following traditional ways. In addition, the Cherokee Nation has adapted to preserve the Nation’s sovereignty.